Brenda Janowitz's debut novel, Scot on the Rocks, is subtitled "How I survived my ex-boyfriend's wedding with my dignity ever-so-slightly intact" and is the tale of lawyer Brooke Miller, whose boyfriend dumps her just before her ex-boyfriend's wedding, which they were supposed to attend together.
Too embarrassed to tell her ex, Trip, that she's now single (he's marrying a Hollywood superstar, after all) she convinces her friend and colleague, Jack, to accompany her and pretend to be her fiance, Douglas. Her Scottish fiance, Douglas. I feel I want to say "with hilarious consequences" here, probably because I bet you can imagine exactly what happens.
Despite its predictability, I really enjoyed Scot on the Rocks, though I did have a few problems with it. Douglas is so, so awful that I couldn't imagine what Brooke ever saw in him, plus her attentions switch to Jack a bit too quickly to be convincing. I would have liked to have got to know both Jack and Brooke's best friend Vanessa a bit better (although I can see Vanessa having her own book in the future).
Despite the above, I enjoyed Scot on the Rocks predominantly because of Brooke's voice. She's sweet and very funny and I really enjoyed her asides to the reader. As a character, she'll stick in my mind, but I'm not sure if the book will. I'll certainly be keen to read Brenda Janowitz's next book though.
Rating: 3/5
Like this? Try Talk Gertie to Me by Lois Winston
Look out for a big Scot on the Rocks giveaway next week
